For more than 50 years, Gibson's Bar-B-Q, co-owned by John Paul Hampton and Louise Hampton Sanford , has been churning out some of the best pies in the Huntsville area. Each day, the restaurant bakes more than 70 pies, ranging from pecan and peanut butter to chocolate and lemon.

But it's the homemade coconut pie ($2.75 a slice and $15 for a whole pie) that took top honors.

A slice of Gibson's coconut pie is huge. The crust is flaky and flavorful, but doesn't overpower the overall taste of the pie. The dense and delicious cream base is made with lots of real coconut, which makes all the difference. Light and airy, the meringue top, a challenge for even the most experienced baker, seems to defy gravity.

The story of the coconut pie dates back to the restaurant's beginnings in 1956. Owner Velma Hampton and employees Nannie Freeman and Anita Sanders came up with the recipe, which hasn't changed in half a century.

Today, two bakers - Showan Foster and Marcela Armenta - arrive at the restaurant at 4 a.m. to begin baking pies. And some days are busier that others.

Two weeks ago, during the Thanksgiving holiday, Foster and Armenta made more than 600 pies. The baking duo will make another 600, or so, for Christmas.

And although Mabry has grown up working at Gibson's, she doesn't know how to make the coconut pie. Mabry wondered what would happen if Gibson's pie-making ladies couldn't make it to work one day.